County still fighting $700K Medicaid bill

St. Johns County is one of just three counties still fighting the state over a Medicaid billing dispute worth $763,268 to the county.

At issue is legislation HB 5301, signed by Gov. Rick Scott during last spring’s legislative session. It required counties to pay a $325 million backlog in Medicaid payments. Proponents of the bill said counties were failing to pay, while counties said the backlog was wrought with billing errors.

After the bill passed, more than 50 counties filed a lawsuit in Leon County’s Circuit Court against the Agency for Health Care Administration. The individual counties along with the Florida Association of Counties said the legislation represented an unconstitutional unfunded mandate.

“Through this error-ridden scheme, the state is coercing counties into paying for lawfully time-barred back bills, as well as new Medicaid obligations,” the lawsuit reads.

AHCA declined comment, citing the ongoing legislation.

Some have since dropped out of the lawsuit, but another 29 have halted, or abated, their involvement while the Florida Association of Counties negotiates with the agency.

St. Johns, St. Lucie, and Broward counties, though, have continued fighting their charges. Each has filed administrative complaints that are expected to be heard next year.

“St. Johns County supports the state legislature; we just think they need to listen to the people impacted by things before they are passed, “ said St. Johns County Attorney Patrick McCormack.

The state says St. Johns County is on the hook for $763,268, which was reduced from an original $992,896 after recalculations. Broward County owes $18.5 million, and St. Lucie County owes $11 million, according to state estimates.

Most counties agreed to settle with the state after it offered a 15-percent discount for not challenging the backlogged payments, which will bring in $120 million.

The three counties still involved had bigger issues than others involved in the billing spat.

“Each have very unique issues that led to their billing being more inaccurate than others, “ said Cragin Mosteller, a spokeswoman for the Florida Association of Counties. “It has caused them a lot of consternation.”

She said there is also a looming date that could increase the complexity of the challenge. If the association does not strike a deal with the state by Jan. 1, the abatement for the 29 counties still involved in the lawsuit ends.

“If we can’t reach a compromise at that point, we will have some decisions to make, “ said Mosteller, who would not speculate on whether a deal would be reached.